The unveiling of the Navy SEAL Monument in Virginia Beach, VA on July 20 began with a North American Aviation P51 Mustang (a long-range, single-seat, fighter-bomber from World War II) flying overhead. It’s familiar engine sounds evoked a sense of pride in the crowd–a perfect segue into the pledge of allegiance and moment of silence led by monument creator, Rick Woolard.
In the opening remarks and prior to the unveiling, the statue concept owner and creator, goes into great detail on his motivation for bringing this ambitious idea into fruition. Rick, retired Navy SEAL, and his family were on vacation in North Carolina, when his son who also happens to be a Navy SEAL exclaims,
“Dad, we can’t be a part of some other monument, we have to have our own space.”
It was this moment that Rick knew he was going to embark on a journey to create a monument, in their own backyard, that honored SEALS who’d served over the last 75 years.
